A Detective's Story
by AlexanderCastle
Summary: A collection of one-shots or short stories relating to the Facebook/ios/Android game Criminal Case. Most are player-centric. Couples: Alex/Cathy, Grace/Luke, Russell/Amy, possible eventual Frank/Karen.
1. Leaving

**So these are, basically, a series of one-shots (unless I decide otherwise), which are based on the Facebook/ios/Android game Criminal Case, developed by the game studio Pretty Simple. Some will take place during cases, others between them, but I will be sure to include the setting at the beginning of each chapter.**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

 _ **Disclaimer - Definitely don't own Criminal Case. All I own is most of the dialogue in this Chapter, though not names of people or locations.**_

* * *

 _Setting - After the Delsin Peota case, an hour or so before the player leaves for Pacific Bay._

"Josh!"

The younger woman's voice caused me to pause mid-step and turn back toward where I had left the others. As the pink-haired young woman reached me, I smiled softly at her. "Do you need something, Cathy?" I queried.

"I just… Do you have a moment?"

I glanced quickly at my watch. I had about 40 minutes left, which was still plenty of time before I needed to be on the plane. I nodded. "What's up?"

"I… I just wanted to sincerely thank you for everything you've done. If it wasn't for you, I might never have been able to get the closure I needed about what happened to my grandmother 10 years ago. And I might never have met Alex either, so I suppose that's another reason I should be grateful to you".

Her eyes lit up as she mentioned her boyfriend's name, and I smiled gently at her. "Yeah, Alex is a good kid. A little over-enthusiastic every once in a while, but sensible, with a good head on his shoulders. I'm glad that he's found somebody to love" I said softly.

She smiled back at me. "Me too. I really do love him, Josh. He's not like anyone I've dated before, and I really like that".

I nodded. "As things stand, I really am happy for the both of you. I couldn't imagine two people better suited for each other. Could you do something for me?"

"After everything you've done for me and my family, of course! What do you need?"

I smiled. "Look after them for me? Not just Alex but the others too? I just… I think I'd feel a little better about having to leave if I knew that someone I trusted was here to make sure that they didn't do anything stupid anytime soon".

She nodded in understanding. "Of course. I understand completely. Don't worry, I promise I'll keep an eye on them for you. Like I said, it's no problem after what you've done for me and my family. And remember what I wrote on the goodbye card, alright? If you ever find yourself in a position where you need a hacker…"

I grinned gently. "I'll call you, I promise".

"You'd better keep that promise Josh, since I intend to keep mine. You do have my phone number, right?"

"Of course I do. I couldn't resist taking the time to add you to my contacts list when we were forced to arrest you during the Delsin Peota case. Which I am still incredibly sorry for, by the way. I never really believed you had anything to do with his death".

Cathy gave me a soft smile. "I know you never believed I had anything to do with Delsin's murder, Josh, and believe me when I assure you that there are no hard feelings whatsoever. You were just following the evidence, after all".

I smiled in response, glad that she wasn't angry at me for what had happened over the course of the last couple of cases. "The last few weeks have been crazy as hell, huh?""

"They really have. I still can't believe it's all over…"

"Tell me about it".

She smiled, pulling me into a quick hug. "I am going to miss you, Josh. I really am".

"I'll miss you too, Cathy".

We were interrupted by the loudspeaker. "Last call for flight GRA-031 to Pacific Bay"

I sighed, nowhere near ready to leave, though knowing I had to. "Well, I guess that's me then. Take care of yourself, Cathy, and don't forget to look me up if you're ever in Pacific Bay".

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. You take care too, alright?"

I nodded. "I promise you I will".

With those words, I turned away and began walking towards the plane. And towards my future.

~30 minutes later~

I sighed, sinking back into the leather chair, taking a long drink from the bottle of iced spring water I had taken from the bar just after take-off. _It's so rare I actually get the chance to relax these days… Everything's been so hectic lately, what with Chief King's funeral and the whole business with the Crimson Order. They may have finally been taken down, and things in Grimsborough may be looking up as of last week, but the city's still going to take a while to shrug off such a dark history._ I thought idly, thinking back to when I had first arrived in Grimsborough just a year before at the age of 25, a couple of weeks before I'd started working with Jones and the rest of the Grimsborough Police team.

Our first case, which had introduced me to both Chief Samuel King (one of my personal heroes, even after the Adam Bentley case and everything that we learned about his ties to the Crimson Order) and Nathan, had been easy yet ultimately satisfying. Matt Barry, the football player who we had quickly realized had been responsible for the murder of Rose Wolf, had been sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole. We'd never been able to figure out exactly why he killed her in the first place, but I had had the theory that he was actually a serial killer and Rosa Wolf had been his last victim. Of course, we'd never been able to confirm it one way or another, and it was unlikely due to the fact that the first case had produced practically no media attention whatsoever, but it had always been a possibility. _I guess it's a pity I never managed to find the time to go over some of the files from cases that went cold. I might have even been able to close one or two of them. Plus they might have made for an interesting read_ I mused, before replacing the lid of my water bottle and settling further into my seat, letting my eyes slip closed, determined to get a few good hours sleep before we landed in Pacific Bay.

 **~Approximately two hours later~**

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking myself awake as I adjusted to the cabin's lights. The plane was descending, meaning we'd all but arrived in Pacific Bay. That meant within half an hour I'd be meeting the chief of Pacific Bay's police team, and be thrown straight into my first investigation. I was just glad I'd had time to catch a short sleep on the flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Pacific Bay National Airport. Local time is 2:45 pm and the temperature is 89.6 degrees…"

I tuned out the rest of the flight attendant's speech, turning to the window and staring out at the blue sky. _Well, here I am in Pacific Bay. A new city, a new opportunity. Let's see what I can do with it_ I mused, waiting until the seatbelt light clicked off and the plane came to a complete stop before I got to my feet, grabbed my bags, and started for the exit.

 **~In the main terminal, after going through security/baggage claim~**

It didn't take me long to spot the black-haired woman in the police uniform I recognized immediately as being that of the Chief of the Pacific Bay Police Department, and I smiled briefly, shouldering my bags before striding over to her. "Chief Marquez?"

She looked up, nodding. "That's me. Are you Inspector Joshua, former member of the Grimsborough Police Department?"

I nodded, adjusting the way my jacket fell to reveal the standard issue police handgun holstered at my hip. The woman nodded, giving me a grim smile. "Well then. Shall we get the formalities over with?"

I smirked. "Let's do that. I'm eager to get to work".

"I'm glad to hear it. Welcome to Pacific Bay, Inspector Joshua. I'm Chief Marquez, and I run the Pacific Bay Police Department. I'm delighted to have you on my team".

* * *

 **So that's that. Personally I like how it turned out, though that might just be me.**

 **Also, I've kinda decided to do something after every update I do for one of my stories from now on where I recommend a song or two (they won't be from any specific decade/genre, just ones that I find worth sharing. I've been trying it on another site for a while, and it seemed to work out there, so might as well do the same here.**

 **Today's recommendations:**

 **Stay, by Lisa Loeb.  
**

 **Loyal, by Dave Dobbyn.**


	2. Interrogation

**So this is what came of the idea that I had when I was playing through the first city of Criminal Case. It contains slight spoilers for the third chapter of the fifth case, and is slightly AU (in ways that will be revealed in-chapter. Enjoy.**

 _ **Disclaimer - No matter how hard I wish, I will never own Criminal Case, nor be affiliated in any way with Pretty Simple.**_

* * *

"For the last time, Bart, stop lying to me!"

I leaned against the wall of the interrogation room, watching as my partner grew angrier by the second, the younger man sitting across the table from him shrinking back in his chair in fright. "I swear I'm not!"

"Cut the crap, Bart! We know you were talking to him, we found your number in his apartment! Tell us what we want to know, now, or I swear I will end your business once and for all!"

"That's completely different! He's one of my best clients; he just needed a fix to relax! I swear; that's the only reason he contacted me!"

"Why the hell didn't you tell us this before?" the blonde-haired interrogator demanded.

"It didn't seem relevant, alright?" the younger man responded, now clearly panicked by the fury that he could feel radiating from the older detective.

"It's not your job to decide what the hell's relevant information for us to know or not, Williams! This is the kind of thing that you're supposed to tell us, remember?"

"I'm sorry!"

I sighed, pushing myself off of the wall and striding over to the table, placing a comforting hand on my partner's shoulder. "Jones"

As the older man glanced up at me questioningly, I gestured towards the door. "Why don't you take a few minutes to calm down, get some fresh air, splash some water on your face or something? I've got this"

"You sure, Josh?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't sure".

My brown-haired partner grinned, nodding. He got to his feet and walked over to the door that led out into the Precinct corridor, opening it before slipping through and letting it close behind him. I slipped into the seat across from Bart, placing a plain manila file on the table between us. "I'm sorry for my partner's attitude, Bart".

He shrugged. "It's alright. I'm used to it".

"Jeez. Just accept the apology when it's offered, will ya?" I joked.

He chuckled lightly, and I could almost feel the tense atmosphere left in the interrogation room by Jones lessening. "Alright, fine. I'll take the stupid apology. Don't say that I never do you any favours, yeah?"

"On the contrary, I seem to be the one doing you most of the favours. Which is ironic, considering your job is to give information to me and my team that will actually help us catch the real bad guys" I retorted.

He scowled. "Don't remind me".

Deciding that it was time to get back to the matter at hand, and focus on the case we were currently working on, I sighed, tapping the file lightly with one finger. "Time to get talking, Bart".

"But we're already talking".

I resisted the urge to chuckle. This was important. "You know what I mean. It's time to talk about why Mikhail Levin was talking to you in the first place".

"But I just told your partner…"

I nodded calmly. "Yes, and I do appreciate you telling him what you did, believe me. But the thing is, Bart, I'm going to need a lot more information than that to go on if my team and I are going to be able to finish solving this case, and give Anton Levin the closure he deserves".

The informant across from me sighed, nodding. "On the one condition that whatever I tell you, no-one finds out that I have told you anything. It would be bad for my image if people found out I was talking to you" he countered.

I chuckled. "Image? Your image is of a drug dealer, my friend. Your job is to help us catch criminals. You and I both know that, and I know that you're not as stupid as you act sometimes. So just tell me what I need to know and you can get out of here".

 _I knew that saying he acted like he was stupid was cruel of me, but sometimes it was the truth. And I needed to know what information he had for me. Badly._ "Now, Bart! Why was your number in Mikhael Levin's apartment?"

"He just found out about his girlfriend's affair, he was freaking out and needed a fix to relax! I swear that's all!"

I nodded, getting to my feet and pushing my chair in. "So Eva was wrong after all then. Mikhael did know... Thank you, Bart, you've been most helpful. You're free to go".

The dark-haired informant leaped immediately from his seat, scurrying out of the interrogation room and down the hall in the opposite direction to the one Jones had gone in, shooting me a brief goodbye as he ran past me. I shook my head, chuckling to myself as I stepped into the corridor and shut the door behind me before walking quickly back to the bullpen, just in time to catch Jones coming out of the break room. "Did I just see Williams running past?" he queried.

I grinned. "Yeah. He told me everything I wanted to know, so I let him go".

My partner leaned back against his desk, exhaling. "So, what did he tell you?"

"Mikhail lied to us".

Surprised, my partner glanced up at me. "About what?"

"He knew about Eva's affair. He was freaking out and needed a fix to relax. That's why he called Bart".

Jones flashed me a brief grin. "He can't deny it now! C'mon, partner, let's go get him".

Double-checking that my badge was clipped to my belt, and that my service weapon was securely holstered, I followed my partner to the door. It was time to end this once and for all.

* * *

 **So there we go. Love to hear your thoughts or anything of the sort, especially about what, if anything, I can improve on. Please leave a Review (even if it's just to tell me you liked the two songs I recommended with my first chapter).**

 **Speaking of which, the two songs for this update are:**

 **Little Wonders, by Rob Thomas**

 **Iris, by Goo Goo Dolls.**


	3. Confronting A Killer

**And here's a new chapter!**

 **Disclaimer - I don't own Criminal Case, though I do play it.**

* * *

"Please state your name and business".

I watched the bored prison guard shift position slightly, his eyes never leaving me, and then pulled one side of my jacket away from my body, displaying my police badge. "Lead Inspector Joshua of the Pacific Bay Police Department. I'm here to see Andre Roche".

"The man you arrested for killing his former cellmate just a couple of days ago?"

I nodded. "That's correct".

"Alright, go ahead in. I'll have a guard take you to the visiting room. I'll also need you to surrender any weapons, sharp objects, or anything else you might be carrying. We have to do everything we can to ensure our inmates are kept as safe as possible".

Considering what most of the people in the prison were actually in there for, that surprised me. A lot. _Why are we focusing on that, exactly? We should be focusing more on making sure that the people outside the prison are kept as safe as possible, not the ones inside it._ "Fine"

I unholstered my gun, setting it onto the metal tray by the security gate, quickly placing my handcuffs, keys and Swiss army knife down with it. "There. May I go through now?"

"Yes, go right ahead. You may pick up your belongings on the way back out".

"I would hope so".

And with those words, I stepped through the metal detector.

 **~In the visiting room~**

"So, Lead Inspector, why are you here? Have you come to gloat about how you managed to catch me?"

"Actually, Andre, I figured you might be interested in knowing something".

I smiled inwardly. Setting a couple of pictures on the table between me and the prisoner, I crossed my arms, watching him carefully. "Do you recognize the location in these pictures?"

"That's the Abandoned Theatre where I killed Scott. You already know that. You closed the case already, why are you asking me these questions?"

"Okay, how about this then?"

I saw the briefest scowl flash over his face as I pulled a clear plastic bag containing a lottery ticket from my bag and set it on the table. "Where the hell did you find that?"

"It was in the box with the rest of your belongings, which you left in the station when we arrested you. I don't suppose you remember why you circled more numbers than is actually allowed?"

He didn't say anything. "Allow me to jog your memory, then. Geo-graphic co-ordinates. The numbers that you circled in red were geographic co-ordinates leading to the theatre where you killed Scott Lee Allan. And guess what my partner and I found when we went back there?"

Again, no response. I watched him calmly for a few seconds, looking for any sign that he knew what I was talking about, before taking a third photo out and setting it next to the others. "We found this chest. A chest which I do believe you didn't want us to find at all".

Those words were all it took to make the blonde-haired prisoner lose his temper. In seconds he was on his feet, glaring darkly at me. "How dare you? That treasure was supposed to be waiting there for me to find when I got out of prison!"

I stared coolly at him, unmoved by his display of anger. "Sit the hell down, Mr. Roche. Right now. Or I will personally make it my mission to make sure that you do not get a single chance for parole during any of the 40 years you're already serving for murdering Scott with those rats a week ago".

Scowling angrily, he threw himself down onto the bench across from me. The cuffs on his hands clattered at the motion. "Honestly, the treasure wouldn't have been worth as much as you seemed to think it would, anyway".

"What are you talking about? Of course it would have been!"

"Actually, it wouldn't have been. You see, rats will eat anything. Even paper. And paper… well, it also just so happens to be exactly what the bearer bonds and the bills in that jewellery box were made of. You did more than kill Scott Lee Allan in the abandoned theatre that night, Andre. The rats you set on him also destroyed the very treasure you were looking for".

I had no intention of telling him that there was still one thing we had managed to salvage of the destroyed Blade fortune, a brooch with the Blade family crest on it. He didn't deserve to know. "Well, Andre, I should get going. Cases aren't going to solve themselves, after all".

Getting to my feet, I stretched lazily, relaxing my cramped muscles, and headed for the exit, stopping only to address one of the guards along the way. "Take him back to his cell".

* * *

 **There we go!**

 **This week's random song choices were:**

 **The Whole Of The Moon, by Waterboys**

 **Summertime Sadness, by Lana Del Ray**

 **Next up, the character's thoughts on the events of A Deadly Game!**


	4. Game On!

**I have nothing to say on this matter, except I am sorry for the delay. And here is the long awaited chapter on A Deadly Game.**

 **Disclaimer - Hahaha. No, I don't own Criminal Case.**

* * *

"Sergeant Joshua, we've just received a package addressed to you".

I gratefully accepted the sealed box from Chief King, noting how carefully taped it was. Beside me, Jones was practically jumping for joy, an excited smile on his face. "Did you hear that, Joshua?! People are sending us thank you gifts! I think I'm going to enjoy that! Open it! Open it!"

Setting the parcel down on my desk, I pulled my swiss army knife out of my pocket and made a quick incision across the taped top, before pulling the flaps open. The moment I looked inside, I felt the colour leave my face and my hand rose to cover my mouth as I recoiled in horror when I saw what lay nestled on a bed of tissues inside the box. "What the hell kind of sick joke is this?"

My partner stepped forward, looking into the box curiously, before doing the same. "Oh dear God! How can something like this even be considered a gift? It's a finger! God, I can't even look at this right now…"

I nodded in agreement, knowing exactly who would be better suited to examining the finger. "Let's get the finger to Nathan, and fast. He should be able to tell us something about it".

As I moved to close the box once more, something nestled into the box beside the finger caught my eye. I averted my eyes as I reached into the cardboard container and plucked out a piece of plain white notepaper, unfolding it and staring at the contents grimly. "Well? What does it say?" Jones demanded.

I swallowed. "That's just a preview. You'll find some more pieces from my victim at the homeless camp, next to the bridge."

"More pieces? Oh, god. Please don't tell me that means more fingers" Jones muttered.

Chief King looked at the two of us grimly, and I knew exactly what he was going to say. "There is no victim without a killer. Sergeant Joshua, you've got a new case!"

Nodding, I grabbed my jacket from my chair, quickly shrugging it on, and making sure my handgun and my badge were both secure on my belt. "Ready when you are, partner".

Jones grinned, but I could tell it was slightly more forced than usual. But secretly, I was thrilled to have another case, even though it would probably turn out to be the grossest case we'd worked yet. There was just something about the thrill of the chase that I couldn't get enough of. "Joshua, let's go check out that homeless camp straight away!"

I nodded, and after getting one of the uniformed officers to take the finger down to Nathan for analysis, we left for Cooperville.

My partner was silent pretty much the entire drive there, staring almost blankly out of the car's passenger-side window at the scenery as it sped past. Eventually, I sighed, reaching over and giving him a gentle nudge, causing him to glance up at me in surprise. "You alright?"

He sighed. "Not really. I mean… I know this is our job, but the things some people are capable of never cease to horrify me. And this is a whole new level of horrifying, Joshua" he replied softly.

I gave a small smile, and my eyes met his encouragingly. "Jones. We've solved nineteen cases together so far. We're going to solve this one too, there's no doubt about it".

The rest of the drive was passed in silence, though an easier and more companionable silence than before, and it wasn't long before I was pulling the car to a stop outside of Cooperville, which was where Jones and I both knew the homeless camp in question was. "The killer's note said that there were more pieces of his or her victim 'at the homeless camp, near the bridge'. Like you said the last time we were here for a case, there's only one bridge in the area, and that's…"

I looked up, pointing to a derelict-looking bridge maybe ten minutes away from us. "There. I'll bet that that's where our next clues are".

It didn't take us all that long to reach the shack nearest to the bridge, and Jones nodded to me. "You do your thing, Josh. I'll keep watch just in case our killer decides to come back".

"You got it, partner".

Satisfied with my response, Jones turned his back to me, his eyes scanning our surroundings carefully, while I pulled on a pair of rubber gloves (so I wouldn't taint any evidence we collected with my own fingerprints) and stepped towards the shack, my eyes flickering around, not missing a single detail. "Hmm. Rusted out old car next to a rundown shack. Typical of this place, really. Not sure why on earth I expected anything different".

My foot kicked against something, and I bent down to examine it. "There's a pile of dirt here. It looks freshly-disturbed, too. Something's been buried here recently".

Standing to my full height (6 foot even, two inches taller than Jones's 5'10"), I was quickly able to spot the second severed finger on the roof of the shack. This time, it was pointed towards a worn leather box. "Jones, I think I've found something".

My partner whirled around, and was standing next to me just a couple of seconds later. I motioned to the second finger on the shack's roof. "Well, I guess our killer was telling the truth".

I glanced at Jones, who looked like he was going to throw up again. "Oh God, a second finger! I guess it goes with the first finger that psycho sent to us… Do you think it's pointing at that box over there, or am I going nuts?"

"It's definitely pointing at the box" I muttered in agreement, before grabbing the box's handle and pulling, only to scowl at the resistance I was met with.

"It's locked. Of course, why am I even surprised? You know how I hate it when things are locked, right, Josh? We must open it!"

I sighed. "You're right; we'll have to open it if we want to stand even the most remote chance of solving this case. Alright, here goes. For science!"

I examined the locked box intently. _The scratches on the leather look like they make up the numbers of the code, let's try… 656 828._ I quickly swivelled the locks so that they matched the numbers, there was a small 'click', and the box unlocked, allowing Jones and I to open it. Jones was at my side within seconds. "Good job, partner. I knew I could count on you to open the box. I'm sure it wasn't left here by accident. What's inside it?"

I held up the contents of the box for my partner to see. "Another note? And there's a key inside this time, what do you think it could be for?"

I shrugged. "No idea. The note seems to be blank though… Hang on, hand me the dusting kit for a second, I might have an idea".

My partner did as I asked, and I brushed the powder over the paper in front of us, quickly revealing a taunting message. "Well? What does it say?"

"It says "Well done, Sergeant Joshua, you found my note! Another piece of the puzzle is waiting for you at 278 Kennedy Road". I'm guessing that the key we found in the box unlocks a door at that address. Also, there's the matter of this…"

I knelt down next to the soil I had spotted earlier. "Freshly disturbed soil. Someone's been digging here, and quite recently at that. Good thing I always carry a small shovel with me just in case of things like this".

Quickly removing the tool in question from my belt, I smiled up at my partner, before starting to dig.

 **~Five hours later, after much hard work and clue-gathering~**

Jones grinned triumphantly. "Joshua, you've found every piece of this twisted puzzle! There's not a minute to lose: let's go put that sadist in jail where he belongs!"

I double-checked my gun again. "Right behind you!"

 **~278 Kennedy Road, half an hour later~**

"Tyler wasn't at his loft, he has to be here! I can't see a thing though! Josh, can you turn the lights on please?"

"Gladly"

I reached over to the light switch I had noticed on our first visit to the basement, and flicked it down. As the lights flickered into life, it became obvious that Tyler was standing literally right in front of us. "Boo!"

"Gah!"

Jones jumped back in fright, startled by the blonde psychopath's appearance. I merely leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that was just childish"

Jones shivered. "He scared me half to death! Quick, Joshua, put the cuffs on him!"

"It would be my pleasure".

I pulled the handcuffs from my belt, swiftly moving behind Tyler. "Mr. McAlister, you're under arrest for the torture and murder of Steve Woods!" I snapped, quickly clicking the cuffs onto his wrists.

Tyler laughed. "You took your time to get me, Sergeant Joshua! But I have to admit, both the murder and our little game were as thrilling as I expected! It was brilliant to choose a tramp that nobody would look for, wasn't it? I just had to make him believe that I was going to help him get back on his feet. It was so easy…"

Jones paled. "You're… You're nuts! But still, I have to know. What did you do with the liver?"

"Haha, I'm surprised you didn't guess! There is nothing like human liver to enhance the taste of caviar…"

"You ate it. You cut out his liver and ate it" I muttered grimly.

Taking a deep breath, I shoved the blonde forward towards the door, which Jones was already holding open. "Let's go, Jones. I think the sooner we get this psychopath to court, the better".

"Psychopath! Ha! I'm a criminal genius!" Tyler yelled.

I rolled my eyes. "You're a cannibal and a psychopath. And you're not even that much of a genius, Tyler. I knew you were the killer from the very first time we interrogated you".

"You did not! I had you fooled, Sergeant!"

Sighing, I turned to Jones. "Can we gag him or something? Otherwise this is going to be a hell of a long trip".

My partner grinned in response, flicking open the glove compartment and reaching in. "I think I might actually have just the thing".

* * *

 **There.**

 **This week's songs are:**

 **Born To Try - Delta Goodrem**

 **Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack**

 **Please leave a Review, I love hearing your thoughts!**


	5. Visiting A Fallen Friend

**Sorry it's been so long. The last few months have been kind of busy for me and I haven't had a lot of time to write. However, I did finally manage to get this done.**

 **Visiting A Fallen Friend – A Criminal Case One-shot**

 **Review Responses:**

 _ **Guest**_ **\- Thanks for calling it amazing, I'm glad you think so!**

 ** _Guest_ \- Yes, I am definitely planning to continue this.**

 _ **Guest**_ **\- Thanks!**

* * *

The short, dew-tipped grass was damp against the soles of my shoes as I slipped through the great wrought-iron gates into the small cemetery, heading for a grave slightly set to the side of all the others. The stone at the head of the grave was rough and worn, unmarked except for two sentences that had been carefully carved into the surface. The first was simple; two words, two numbers. A name, and a date. "Michelle Zuria 1971 - 2016".

The second sentence was longer, taking up most of the next two lines. "A steadfast friend, a loyal partner, an enthusiastic seeker of justice. R.I.P".

I crouched down in front of the grave, resting one hand on the grass in front of the stone, and set down the bouquet of flowers that I had been carrying in my other hand. "Hi, Michelle. I know it's been a while since I last visited, but things have been hectic. I don't know if he's told you yet or not, or even if the two of you spend any time together up there, but we did it. We shut them down. SOMBRA have been destroyed once and for all, and every one of their agents who hasn't defected from them has either been arrested or killed. We won".

I sighed, wiping a tear from my eyes. "If I'm honest, I miss you. We all do. After we solved your murder, Sanjay found a photo of the four of us laughing in the cafeteria not long after you joined the team. It had been taken the day that they were teaching you how to interrogate suspects and Jack pulled your leg by saying that we always end it with a pun. Of course, then he confessed that it was a lie and we all started laughing anyway, but you did genuinely get very good at making puns by our last case together".

I paused after speaking, imagining her rolling her eyes and laughing at the memory of that day and the events of that picture. Then I spoke again. "He found the notes you made as well, especially the one you made a couple of days after we closed the case at the Olympic Games in Rio. 'Accidentally got high with Jack last night. It was dreadful but hilarious. Must hang out more with team'. Of course, Carmen scolded Sanjay for rummaging through your belongings, but then she admitted that she was glad that he had found your notes and that it was nice to show you were happy among us. Jack also admitted that it was weird to think that you were SOMBRA when we first met you in Singapore, and wondered who would have thought you would eventually have become our partner and friend. I suggested that we frame the photo and hang it in the cafeteria, to serve as a permanent reminder of the good times we had with you. So that's what we've done".

I sighed. "I still can't help but wish you hadn't died in that bell tower, that it had been someone else instead, someone unaffiliated with our team. I wish you'd been there to see SOMBRA's final defeat for yourself. I wish you could have been there when we won the UN Peace Award for our actions. We saved the world, Michelle. I just… I wish you had been there to see it. But then again, you were there, weren't you? You may not have been there in body, but you were there in spirit, silently cheering us on the whole damn time, with a fiery pride in your eyes when we finally took down the vice-president of the USA for being affiliated with them in the first place. And an even stronger pride when we were given the UN Peace Award".

The sound of the wind blowing through the trees shifted slightly, sounding almost like my late partner's laughter. "I thought so".

I stood up, brushing the damp grass from my pants as the sound of soft footsteps approaching the grave became obvious. "I thought I might find you here. Just can't seem to stay away, can you?".

I shrugged. "Just paying my respects, same as you".

Grace gave me a soft smile as she drew level with me and knelt to place her own bouquet of flowers on the grass in front of the stone. "I see great minds think alike" she observed.

I looked down, noting that we had both brought bouquets of the exact same type of flower to place on Michelle's grave. And then I looked back up at the coroner, nodding in agreement as I met her eyes with my own. "Indeed, they do, Grace. Where are the other members of our team?"

"Back at headquarters, making sure that all loose ends regarding all of the cases involving SOMBRA or their allies have been tied up for good. SOMBRA may have been dealt with once and for all, but that doesn't mean that we can suddenly afford to start missing information" the red-haired woman replied.

"I agree with that, definitely. We can't afford to take the chance that we'll miss something and inadvertently give our enemies a chance to regroup" I said quietly.

She looked down at our former partner's grave sadly, unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. "Sometimes I still find it hard to accept that she's actually dead. I mean, I know that she is dead because I did the autopsy on her myself, but even after everything we've seen it's still hard to accept. If that makes any sense whatsoever, anyway".

I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "It does. I feel much the same way myself".

She sighed, before turning back to me. "Since we're here, in New York, do you want to go grab a burger or something before we head back to headquarters? There's probably a fast food place not far from here, maybe we can pick something up for the others as well".

I smiled at the red-haired woman. "I think that sounds like a perfect idea".

She smiled back at me as I agreed with her suggestion. "Good. And maybe while we walk you can tell me more about the cases you worked on while you were in Pacific Bay. Your emails were very vague on many of the important details…"

* * *

 **There we go. I hope you enjoyed it. Songs for this update are:**

 **Talking To Myself - Linkin Park**

 **Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran.**

 **As always, leave a Review if you enjoyed. And definitely also leave a Review if you have any ideas on other Cases, or even storylines, that you'd like me to write about!**


	6. A Mid-flight Briefing

**So here we go, the next part of this storyline. Lots of spoilers ahead for World Edition/Save The World, so consider yourselves warned!**

 **Disclaimer - Pretty Simple owns the rights to Criminal Case, and I do not.**

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"Here, I brought you this. You've been reading those files ever since we left Antarctica, I thought you'd appreciate the caffeine".

I looked up at the sound of my old friend's voice, carefully shutting the case file I was reading and placing it with the others on the table in front of me before gratefully accepting the offered cup of coffee. "Thank you, Grace".

She smiled warmly at me before sitting down on the opposite side of the table. "If you don't mind, could you tell me more about what I've apparently got myself into?"

"Of course. Where do you want me to start?"

"What is SOMBRA, exactly?" Grace queried.

"SOMBRA is an international crime organization. They have branches all over the world, or at least as far as we know, although we have successfully dismantled several of their operations. Did you hear about the referendum for the unification of Europe?"

Grace nodded. "Of course. That was them?"

"It was. Establishing themselves as the modern version of an organization known as the Promethian Cult, they were causing chaos and committing murders throughout Europe to gain support for their referendum. They were planning to use the murders and blow up Europe's most famous monuments to force a Yes result out of the public's fear and panic, and then seize control over a unified Europe".

"Wow. How very evil. What other operations have they been working on so far?"

I took a deep breath. "There was their attempt to start a revolution in the Sahara, their infiltration of the Russian space agency COSMORUS and the launch of a spy satellite (which is thankfully now under control of the Bureau), their extremely-prolonged attempt to frame an innocent guru in South Asia, kidnapping and brainwashing of children in East Asia (to the extent they would be forced to participate in a battle to the death), intense human experimentation and training in Oceania, and… diamond smuggling in Africa".

"Kidnapping and brainwashing of children?" Grace queried.

Her eyes flashed furiously as she looked at me, and I nodded. "Yes. SOMBRA and their allies in the Japanese Yakuza were luring children, usually in their early teens but always orphans, from the streets of East Asia and into their clutches with the promise of a better life. They were then brainwashing the children to believe in their ideals before forcing them into a fight to the death (a competition which they called The Hunt) until there was just one child left standing, and that child would be sent to Oceania to undergo what they called 'The Next Level', where the 'winning' child would undergo intense training and human experimentation until they were the perfect SOMBRA assassin. They would then be assigned somewhere else in the world depending on where SOMBRA's next target would be".

Grace leaned forward in her chair, and when she next spoke I could see the clear horror in her eyes. "Please tell me that you shut those horrible plans of theirs down, Josh" she said quietly.

I nodded, knowing how Grace felt around children, especially since it was the same way the rest of us felt. "We did. The mastermind behind the kidnapping of the children and The Hunt has been put in jail for the rest of her life, and the lead scientist responsible for the human experimentation during 'The Next Level' was found dead on the shores of their volcanic island base just over a month ago. Oh, and the volcano ended up erupting, so their island base has been destroyed as well".

"Well that's good news for us then. Okay, enough talk about SOMBRA for now. Do you mind if I ask about something else instead?"

I nodded, eager to move away from the topic of the terrorists we were fighting. "Of course, I think a change of subject is a good idea. Ask away".

Grace gestured towards Carmen, who was leaning back against the plane wall, reading quietly. Next to her, Sanjay was curled up against her side, sleeping peacefully. I allowed myself a soft smile at the sight. Sanjay had been through so much in the last few months that it was nice to see him relax. "What's the story with those two?"

"I introduced you to Carmen earlier, right?"

At her nod, I continued. "The kid is Sanjay, her adopted son. Sanjay was one of the orphans SOMBRA was trying to recruit. Once we stopped The Hunt, we were able to find homes for all the children apart from Sanjay, who refused to be adopted. Carmen was eventually able to get him to agree to being adopted by offering to adopt him herself. He's been travelling with us ever since, and he called Carmen mom during the case before we came down to Antarctica. He helped me pick out your resume, and when we told him we were coming down to Antarctica he was really excited about the prospect of seeing some penguins. It was honestly really sweet".

"He sounds like a good kid" Grace smiled, watching Carmen fondly look down and brush a strand of hair out of the sleeping boy's eyes before returning her full attention to her book.

I nodded. "He is, Grace. He really is".

"Alright. I guess I have one last question".

I nodded. "Shoot".

"What's the story with Marina and Jonah?" Grace queried.

I turned, momentarily watching the team's sole current couple. The red-haired Russian profiler and the darker-skinned weapon expert were talking quietly. As I watched, Marina threw her hands up in what I thought was exasperation, and Jonah leaned in, cupping her face gently in his hands and saying something to her quietly before leaning in and giving her a quick kiss. When they broke apart and Jonah smiled softly at his Russian girlfriend, I allowed myself a soft smile as well before turning back to Grace. "Jonah is a former hired gun and sniper who we recruited after we finished stopping SOMBRA's operations in the Sahara, and he's now our weapons expert. Marina hated him at first, which stems back to her days as a psychology student when Jonah was ordered to kill her after she exposed a corrupt Russian president (he missed the shot on purpose though, as he soon revealed). She forgave him during our time in South Asia, and they started dating properly after we left Thailand. They've been together ever since then."

"They seem like a cute couple" Grave observed, watching the two of them as well.

"They have their problems and their disagreements. But they've done well to get this far, and they're good for each other. And in the end, that's all we really need".

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 **So there we go then.**

 **Songs for this chapter are:**

 **Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi**

 **More Than a Feeling - Boston**

 **See you guys next update, don't forget to read and Review if you liked it or if you have any suggestions for cases you'd like to see done in this storyline!**


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